1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed toward automatically activated fire extinguishing device for engine driven modes of transportation, and more specifically to fire-extinguishing devices that automatically expel a fire retarding substance when exposed to a predetermined high temperature or subjected to a violent change in acceleration.
2. Prior Art Statement
From the earliest steam engine to the most advanced jet turbine engine, all self-contained engines run by the controlled burning of fuels. Engines are used to drive every mode of transportation known (i.e. automobiles, planes, trains, and boats). Occasionally, under the best of circumstances, engine parts fail and heat of the engine causes uncontrolled fires. But when an automobile, plane, train or boat is involved in a collision, and the integrity of the fuel supply or engine is compromised, the chances of an uncontrolled fire is increased dramatically.
The present invention is a fire extinguishing device that can be used wherever an engine is used. The present invention releases and directs fire extinguishing material when triggered by an abnormally high temperature or a violent change in acceleration. Such fire extinguishing devices have generally been in existence since the first engines, but no device has yet been made that works as dependably or is as versatile as the present invention. Prior art fire extinguishers for differing modes of transportation are exemplified by the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 1,838,655 to Bronander shows a volume of fire extinguishing fluid stored within a breakable container. When the container experiences a violent change in acceleration, the container contacts its encasement and ruptures. The fire extinguisher fluid flows out and down onto any mechanism positioned below.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,669 to Kaneko shows a double container device wherein one container of compressed gas is stored within a container of fluid. The device is activated by a directed blow to a plunger that ruptures the inner container and combining the two elements. The result is that the liquid leaves its container under pressure for use in extinguishing a fire;
U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,680 to Wittbrodt et al shows a fire extinguishing system that is activated electrically through electrical sensors, the sensors being triggered by deformation during an impact; and
U.S. Pat. No. 3,876,011 to Pultras and U.S. Pat. No. 2,025,326 to Bouillon both show fire extinguishing devices activated by both heat and acceleration. Both devices have plungers that rupture storage facilities by the sudden change acceleration caused by a collusion or by heat releasing a spring bias to the rupturing plunger.
Thus, although prior art does show fire extinguishing devices that are triggered by abnormal temperature or acceleration changes, prior art neither teaches nor suggests a fire extinguishing device such as the present invention. The present invention is a small compact unit, and unlike prior art, a plurality of devices can be placed throughout potential fire areas. Additionally, the present invention has a minimal number of moving parts and is triggered regardless to its orientation during a collision. Consequently, the present invention results in a fire extinguishing device that is less expensive, more reliable, and more versatile than any other such device that exists in prior art.